Organic EL panel having substrate comprising light incident section and light guide section

Abstract

The present invention provides a novel organic EL panel adapted to be color tunable by a user, for example. An organic EL panel 10 of the present invention includes: a first substrate 11; a second substrate 12; an organic EL element 13; and a sealing layer 14. One surface of the first substrate 11 is a mounting surface on which the organic EL element 13 is disposed. The first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12 are laminated in such a manner that the mounting surface of the first substrate 11 and one surface of the second substrate 12 face each other with the sealing layer 14 interposed therebetween. The sealing layer 14 seals a gap between the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12 along an entire periphery of a region where the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12 face each other. The first substrate 11 includes a light incident section 15 on which laser light is incident and a light guide section 16 that directs the incident laser light in an in-plane direction.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An organic EL panel comprising:
 a first substrate; 
 a second substrate; 
 at least one organic EL element; and 
 a sealing layer, 
 wherein one surface of the first substrate is a mounting surface on which the at least one organic EL element is disposed, 
 the first substrate and the second substrate are laminated in such a manner that the mounting surface of the first substrate and one surface of the second substrate face each other with the sealing layer interposed therebetween, 
 the sealing layer seals a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate along an entire periphery of a region where the first substrate and the second substrate face each other, and 
 at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate comprises at least one light incident section on which laser light is incident and at least one light guide section that directs the incident laser light in an in-plane direction. 
 
     
     
       2. The organic EL panel according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the light incident section has a Brewster's angle. 
 
     
     
       3. The organic EL panel according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the light guide section has at least one of a light reflecting mechanism and a light scattering mechanism. 
 
     
     
       4. The organic EL panel according to  claim 1 , wherein
 at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate has the light incident section at a corner of a side surface thereof. 
 
     
     
       5. The organic EL panel according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the light incident section causes the incident laser light to travel from the corner at which the light incident section is disposed toward at least one adjacent corner on the side surface of the at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate. 
 
     
     
       6. The organic EL panel according to  claim 5 , wherein
 at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate has the light guide section at least one adjacent corner on the side surface of the at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate. 
 
     
     
       7. The organic EL panel according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the organic EL panel comprises two or more light incident sections as the at least one light incident section and two or more light guide sections as the at least one light guide section, 
 the light incident sections are provided at different corners of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively, and 
 the light guide sections are provided at different corners of the at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively. 
 
     
     
       8. The organic EL panel according to  claim 1 , wherein
 at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate is a glass substrate. 
 
     
     
       9. The organic EL panel according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the organic EL element comprises an organic EL layer and a pair of electrodes. 
 
     
     
       10. The organic EL panel according to  claim 9 , wherein
 the organic EL element is a laminate in which an electrode layer as one of the pair of electrodes, the organic EL layer, and another electrode layer as the other one of the pair of electrodes are laminated in this order and the electrode layer on the first substrate side is a transparent electrode, and 
 the first substrate has the light incident section and the light guide section. 
 
     
     
       11. The organic EL panel according to  claim 9 , wherein
 the organic EL element is a laminate in which an electrode layer as one of the pair of electrodes, the organic EL layer, and another electrode layer as the other one of the pair of electrodes are laminated in this order and the electrode layer on the second substrate side is a transparent electrode, and 
 the second substrate has the light incident section and the light guide section.